ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — With the eyes of the funding world mounted on Antigua and Barbuda, Cricket West Indies (CWI) emerged as a daring voice for regional transformation on the twenty fifth Annual Citizenship by Funding and Funding Migration Convention (CIS25).
Representing CWI have been President Dr. Kishore Shallow and Chief Government Officer Chris Dehring, who offered cricket not merely as a sport—however as a automobile for strategic, sustainable growth throughout the Caribbean.
Held within the presence of an esteemed viewers that included Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, and Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, CIS25 proved to be a high-level convergence of funding visionaries and coverage architects.
Alongside Chairman Ricky Skerritt and Common Supervisor Nelecia Yeates, the CWI management seized the chance to stipulate its evolving function in shaping the Caribbean’s financial future. On the core of their message: cricket’s transformation from cultural icon to funding engine.
“Cricket has at all times been greater than only a recreation within the Caribbean – it’s an identification, a model and a world asset,” asserted CEO Dehring throughout a distinguished panel on sport and sustainable growth. “However now it represents additionally a big platform to draw regional funding… notably from East Asian and North American markets the place curiosity is vibrant.”
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Coolidge Cricket Floor: A blueprint for sport-led progress
The cornerstone of CWI’s presentation was the redevelopment of Coolidge Cricket Floor (CCG) in Antigua—unveiled as a flagship funding alternative. Envisioned as a vibrant, multi-use complicated, CCG is about to fuse cricket with tradition, commerce, and innovation, making a regional landmark with international resonance.
“Our purpose is to show Coolidge into greater than a cricket venue – we see it as a dynamic, multi-use growth hub,” mentioned Dehring. “With the fitting partnerships, this undertaking is usually a blueprint for the way sport can drive significant funding.”
CWI is actively integrating the potential of the Citizenship by Funding (CBI) programme into the financing and strategic design of CCG. The idea is each bold and well timed: leveraging West Indies cricket’s worldwide visibility to draw capital that fuels infrastructure, drives job creation, and helps broader financial resilience.
“Yearly we broadcast cricket from the area to hundreds of thousands of viewers worldwide,” Dehring famous. “A lot of them may discover the CBI programme compelling if offered via the fitting sporting lens.”
A imaginative and prescient shared by regional management
President Dr. Kishore Shallow echoed these sentiments, championing CBI as a catalyst for cricket and group alike.
“The Citizenship by Funding programme presents a beneficial pathway for attracting significant funding into cricket and different areas of regional growth,” Dr. Shallow emphasised. “It supplies a chance to attach international capital with our ambitions to develop the sport and strengthen the Caribbean’s financial panorama.”
He additional underscored the importance of regional unity on show at CIS25: “The extent of engagement from regional leaders at CIS25 displays a shared dedication to progress. With this sort of unified curiosity, we will consolidate our efforts and create larger financial alternatives for all Caribbean individuals.”
Cricket as a catalyst: A regional crucial
By spotlighting cricket as a regional asset with international enchantment, CWI reaffirmed its dedication to forward-thinking partnerships and its function in championing innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity within the Caribbean economic system.
The message from Antigua was clear: West Indies cricket is not simply concerning the previous—it’s about forging a future the place sport ignites funding and shapes prosperity.
